Rolling type pencil sharpener



y 1966 H. A. WARNER ROLLING TYPE PENCIL SHARPENER Filed Dec. 21, 1964 INVENTOR.

HARRY A. WARNER m ga- ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,250,257 ROLLING TYPE PENCIL SHARPENER Harry A. Warner, 3842 Leafy Way, Miami, Fla. Filed Dec. 21, 1964, Ser. No. 419,952 3 Claims. (Cl. 120-93) This invention relates to a rollable type of pencil sharpener that is provided with an axially arranged cutter element for the reception of the pencil and that is adapted to be manually rolled over a flat surface to cause the cutting elements to sharpen the inserted end of the pencil.

The invention contemplates a yieldable frusto-conical body having inserted axially therein a frusto-conical cutter element and with the cutter element being inserted into the body portion from its larger end and held against displacement during the use of the device.

The device also includes a cutter element of frustoconical shape that is stamped or otherwise formed from metal or plastic and to have fitment into a frusto-conical recess of the body portion and with faces of the cutting element being provided with cutter faces and between the faces, there has been provided grooves in the cutter element for the reception of the material ground from the pencil and so that said material can be easily removed by engaging the body portion at its larger end upon a fixed surface and so that shavings and lead particles can be readily removed therefrom by tapping the wide end of the body.

Novel features of construction and operation of the device will be more clearly apparent during the course of the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein has been illustrated a preferred form of the device and wherein like characters of reference are employed to denote like parts throughout the several figures.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a pencil sharpener constructed in accordance with the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal section taken substantially on line 22 of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a transverse section taken substantially on line 33 of FIGURE 2,

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary face view of one of the cutter faces of the cutter element, and

FIGURE 5 is a composite perspective view of the body portion and the cutter element,

In the drawings, the numeral 5 designates a body portion of frusto-conical shape, having fiat ends 6 and 7. The body portion 5 is preferably formed of rubber or any desirable material having a friction face to permit the rolling of the device after the pencil, indicated at 8 has been inserted therein.

The body portion 5 from its end 6 is frusto-conically recessed at 9, to receive a cutter element, indicated as a whole by the numeral 10 in FIGURE 5. T he cutter element 10 is stamped or otherwise formed from a sheet of preferably metallic material, forming wing sections 11 that are formed. upon the axis of a true circle and with the wing elements 11 terminating inwardly and concentrically to form cutting blades 12. The cutting blades 12 are faced with any desirable material such as carborundum that may be in strip form. The forming of the wings 11 and the cutting blades 12 provide grooves 13 in which the shavings or cuttings from the pencil 8 will fall as the body is rolled over a flat surface and so that the shavings or material cut from the pencil may lodge within the grooves 13 so that they can be effectively removed from the body 5 after the pencil has been sharpened and by merely engaging the flat top 6 of the body with a fixed surface that permits the ground material to be shaken outwardly from the grooves. The recess 9 terminates in a relatively small aperture 14 that permits the sharpened point of the pencil to extend while the pencil is being sharpened.

The cutting element 10 is fitted within a corresponding recess of the body 5 and is locked against displacement by a lug 15, formed upon one wing 11 and that has snapping engagement into a recess 16 of the body portion when the cutter element is engaged therein and, since the body portion 5 is of yieldable material, the cutter element may be forced therein to have its snapping engage-ment with the body by the lug 15. The cutter element 10 having the wings 11 corresponds precisely to the recess 9 and the wings 11 and the cutting faces 12 are formed upon a true circle with the axis of the device. As before stated, the cutting faces 12 may be formed of strips of carborundum or similar cutting material or, the device may be formed of complete metallic structure having the faces of the cutter elements stamped to form the teeth of a conventional metallic file, and when the cutter element is stamped upon its cutting faces to form serrations corresponding to a metallic file, the serrations are crisscross so that the pencil may be sharpened by rolling the body 5 in opposite directions.

In the use of the device, the pencil 8 is inserted into the cutter element to its full depth and then rolled over a flat surface, causing the cutting faces 12 to grind the material from the pencil and continue forcing it downwardly during the rolling motion, causing the pointed lead to extend through the aperture 14. After the pencil has been sharpened, the pencil is removed and the cuttings dumped from the grooves 13, creating a very simple and desirable rolling type cutter that prevents the pencil from disengaging the body, since the pencil is continuously forced downwardly into the recess as the pencil is held and the body portion rolled over a flat surface.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that a very novel type of pencil sharpener has been provided in which the structure is simple, cheaply manufactured and most effective for sharpening a pencil and, since the pressure of the pencil is always axial with respect to the body portion, the pencil will not become disengaged and the forming of the body 5 of rubber or similar material having a friction surface will easily cause the body portion to roll and create the sharpening of the pencil. It should be here noted however that the body portion, with respect to the surface over which it is rolled is molded on substantially an angle that will maintain the pencil in substantially a 45 degree angle with respect to the table surface and so that there will be no tendency for the pencil during the grinding action to shift outwardly from the cutter.

I claim:

1. A rollable type pencil sharpener that comprises a molded frusto-conical body formed of yieldable material and with the body having fiat ends, the body being axially recessed from end to end, a cutter element having fitment into the recess the cutter element being stamped to form concentric grinding faces and concentric wing portions and whereby the winged portions form stamped apart grooves for collecting material that is cut from the pencil, the grinding faces having cutting material fixed thereto for their full length, the cutting element and the grinding faces and the wings being frusto-conical.

2. The structure according to claim 1. wherein the cutting faces are covered with strips of abrasive material.

3. The structure according to claim 1, wherein the References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Burke 120-96 George 12092 Hagger et al 12 092 Duany 120-96 Hutchinson 120-92 body is molded of plastic and having a roughened surface. 10 R C CHARLES, Primary Examiner- 

1. A ROLLABLE TYPE PENCIL SHARPENER THAT COMPRISES A MOLDED FRUSTO-CONICAL BODY FORMED OF YIELDABLE MATERIAL AND WITH THE BODY HAVING FLAT ENDS, THE BODY BEING AXIALLY RECESSED FROM END TO END, A CUTTER ELEMENT HAVING ELEMENT INTO THE RECESS THE CUTTER ELEMENT BEING STAMPED TO FORM CONCENTRIC GRINDING FACES AND CONCENTRIC WING PORTIONS AND THEREBY THE WINGED PORTIONS FORM STAMPED APART GROOVES FOR COLLECTING MATERIAL THAT IS CUT FROM THE PENCIL, THE GRINDING FACES HAVING CUTTING MATERIAL FIXED THERETO FOR THEIR FULL LENGTH, THE CUTTING ELEMENT AND THE GRINDING FACES AND THE WINGS BEING FRUSTO-CONICAL. 